


Be

by SLWalker



Category: due South
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-18
Updated: 2012-06-18
Packaged: 2017-11-08 01:28:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/437623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLWalker/pseuds/SLWalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vecchio and Kowalski are on the phone, because how many other Rays in the world ended up in same-sex relationships with Mounties?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ride_Forever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ride_Forever/gifts).



_"He gives amazing head."_

Ray Vecchio still had no idea how he ended up in these conversations with _Stanley Kowalski_ , of all people. But somehow, they got into a contest of My Mountie is Better than Your Mountie, which was not something Ray usually ended up going for, when Kowalski called from Whitehorse for the purposes of boredom and gossip.

Then again, it wasn't like every guy named Ray was dating a Mountie. And it wasn't like Benny giving good head was any kind of shock, given he'd put his mouth on things no human being should.

"Yeah, and?" Ray asked, casually, leaning back on his couch and putting his feet up on the coffee table.

 _"Do you, like, get what couldn't be confirmed or denied as head?"_ Kowalski asked, and Ray could hear the snark trickle down the phone line.

He had to admit, that was pretty good. Trying -- probably failing -- to keep the smile out of his voice, he answered, "Well, Stanley, I can't confirm or deny it, can I?"

Ren walked by and paused, eying Ray for a long moment with his Eyebrow of Doom way up. Ray gave him back his absolutely cheekiest grin while Kowalski muttered something about his name -- old banter -- and then tried prodding Ray into taking the bait again, _"But seriously, it's amazing. The things he does with his tongue; it's fucking_ criminal _, Vecchio. What have you got to beat that, huh?"_

"Four course meals made from scratch," Ray answered, giving Ren a wink.

_"Hey, Ben cooks! And what does that have to do with doing the nasty?"_

"Spaghetti, yeah. Musk ox stew basting in yak's blood or something like that. _Pemmican_. You know what I had last night? Homemade pizza, Chicago deep dish style. The night before, we had grilled steaks. He made me tiramisu a couple weeks ago. He was _naked_ , 'cept for the apron, while he did it and the sex after was _better_ than the tiramisu."

There was a pause down the line, while Ren stood there and his eyebrow, impossibly, went higher. He was blushing, and clearly trying not to smile all bashfully. Or proudly. It depended on his moods.

_"...shut up. You don't cook pemmican. Bet mine's still better in bed than yours."_

"Yeah? You guys managed to get past the 'proper preparation prevents poor performance' stage, finally?" Despite all of this overt animosity, Ray had to give Kowalski props. Because Benny? Benny was _work_. Benny took effort. He required patience nobody thought Kowalski could possess. He was such a tangled mess inside that Ray sometimes wondered how he'd even survived the two years they were just _friends_ , let alone what it woulda been like if they'd been lovers.

He didn't regret, really. He'd come to peace a long time ago that he was in love with Benny back in the day, and just didn't know how to slot it into his straight-man brain enough to recognize it for what it was, until there was Ren. Ren, who _thought_ he was work, was effort, required patience. But when it came to him, Ray had such an infinite supply that he didn't even notice. It wasn't work or effort at all. It just was; it flowed and it was easy and happy and light and free. Ray had never had a relationship before where he wasn't expected to perform, where he wasn't expected to somehow measure up to some kinda yardstick he knew he'd always fail to reach. Not his family, not his friends, not his ex, not anybody. Not even Benny.

But with Ren, it was all just free-flowing, liquid. No yardsticks. Ray needed that. Needed to not always be the one wearing the metaphorical pants, needed somebody to occasionally demand he let go of the reins and give over control and let somebody else handle everything, right down to when he was gonna come his brains out like a teenager. After a whole life trying to reach yardsticks, it was amazing to be told to let go. To just _be_.

Kowalski was quiet an awful long time, and Ray knew why. Because there were some places Benny wouldn't go, that Kowalski desperately wanted. Because Benny was all about the give, give, give and none of the _take it_ , and that could wear a person out sometimes. It had nearly killed Ray, even without the bedroom to worry about. Kowalski needed the yardstick, he thrived with the yardstick, he liked being the 'take it' kinda guy, but he also needed something taken back from him sometimes; needed to be able to let go sometimes, cut loose, just be. And Benny, bless his screwed-up heart, didn't get that.

"You okay, Ray?" he asked, quietly.

 _"Yeah,"_ Kowalski answered, playing up the macho for all of a second before he quit. _"Just... y'know. Y'know?"_

God, Ray kinda wanted to hold him right now. Because he remembered that, how that felt, that loneliness, that 'hey, I love you so damn much, please see me' thing, even if he hadn't gotten that it was 'in love' back then. To be noticed, wanted, grabbed, taken from for _himself_ , instead of whatever yardstick he was aiming for. He never knew how bad he'd needed that until he got it from Ren.

Ren must have seen the shift on his face. He stepped around the back of the couch and gave Ray a nudge forward, then started rubbing his neck. Probably eavesdropping, too. But hell, Kowalski knew Ray wouldn't keep a secret from Ren anyway.

"I know. And you know, you need a break..."

_"Yeah, yeah. Thanks."_

Ray nodded, to himself. There were a lot of things they didn't say, but that they both got. Especially when it came to Benny, once Kowalski got over his humping-the-Mountie-leg territoriality. "Okay. You'll get there, you know?"

_"Okay, Vecchio, stop talking to me like I'm a girl."_

"Bet you'd be hot in a skirt," Ray answered, and grinned in self-satisfaction when he felt the hand on his neck tighten in teasing warning. It was all part of the dance. "A mini, Kowalski. Naughty."

_"You bet I would, 'cause I don't have chicken legs like you do. Okay, I'm outta here. I should charge you for that jerk-off fantasy I just gave you, but since I'm a nice guy..."_

"You're a saint, Stanley."

 _"Fuck you, Vecchio,"_ Kowalski said, with a laugh, hanging up the phone.

Ray hung his own up, and then grinned even wider when Ren leaned down to breathe into his ear, "A fine plan, I think."

And it really, really was.


End file.
